Best RC Boats for Kids
updated for 2021
Picking an RC boat for a kid is no easy task, as you have to take into account things like:
- safety
- durability
- not being boring
Here's the catch though:
You need to take note of your budget and check the price you're willing to pay first.
Done?
Let's get started!
Propeller protection for kids
There are certain RC boats that have a system to protect you and your kids from starting up the propeller on the ground.
It's made in such a way to only complete the circuit for power only when the boat is in water.
Flipping mechanism
Some boats have a flipping mechanism so they're self-righting in case you flip them in the water.
Range
The boats on this list work with 2.4ghz transmitters and usually have a range over 100m and up to 300m, which is usually enough.
MY TOP RC toy boats (comparison Table)
This is my top list with the 7 rc boats for kids carefully selected… don't necesarily judge them by the place they're on, as there's really not much difference in quality or fun you can have with them.
If you're a parent, you might want to learn a bit about rc boats yourself before ordering one.
Choose what looks best to you and the ones that come with the features you're most looking for.
Best overall RC Boat
(Altair AA Aqua)
Battery
15min
Recommended age
7 years old+
Self-righting
yes
Speed
30km/h (20mph)
Reasons you should buy it
- If you don't want to be scared it flips over
- If you want to be notified before losing signal
- Great both for kids and adults
- Comes with 2 batteries
- Great english customer support
Reasons you shouldn't
- If you have a really small pool ( it's quite fast and I would recommend an open body of water)
Best Fishing RC Boat(Radio Ranger 2)
Battery
20min
Recommended age
8 years old+
Self-righting
no
Speed
20km/h (12mph)
The Radio Ranger 2 is a fishing RC boat that actually works thanks to it's considerable size and power.
I would recommend this boat for 8 year old kids or older, as fishing can be quite challenging.
This might just be the most fun family activity a dad and mom could do with their kid to develop a deep sense of satisfaction and working towards a goal.
Imagine working together with your child and teaching him to put bait and carefully drive the boat around the water until the fish bites.
Reasons you should buy it
- sturdy design
- Having a great experience fishing with your kids
- Teaching your kid patience and reward of their own work.
- Variable Speeds for different sized water
Reasons you shouldn't
- pretty long charging time (4h)
BEST RC BOAT FOR POOLS (UDI VENOM)
Battery
15min
Recom Age
5 years old+
Self-righting
yes
Speed
25km/h (15mph)
Reasons you should buy it
- anti tilt hull (if you don't want it to flip when taking turns)
- water cooling intake for the motor
- the transmitter feels great
- quite fast
- small enough to use in a pool
Reasons you shouldn't
- battery life not so long
most fun rc boat (military battleship)
Battery
25min
Recommended age
4 years old +
Self-righting
no
Speed
8km/h
Reasons you should buy it
- great for pools
- turrets can be rotated and cannons reoriented(manually)
- two versions you can choose from
Reasons you shouldn't
- moves pretty slowly
Fastest RC toy boat(shark design)
Battery
15min
Recommended age
12 years old+
Self-righting
yes
Speed
40km/h (25mph)
Reasons you should buy it
- self-righting hull design
- water cooling system for the motor
- very maneuvrable
- option to control multiple boats at the same time with your friends on different frequencies
Reasons you shouldn't
- if you're looking for a slow boat
Frequently asked questions (rc boats guide)
Are RC Boats safe for children?
There are a few ways rc boats could be a threat to a kid:
1.The propeller started spinning in the air and hurt him.
This isn't possible with the boats on this list as they have a safety mechanism that closes the circuit for the motor only when they're in the water. THis means the blades will never start spinning on the ground.
2. Kids could hit themselves while in the water
If you make sure nobody is in the water while the kids are playing, everything should be good. The speed of some of these boats could make for a slight bruise, but nothing more, as they're very light and quite small.
At what age can kids play with them rc boats?
Since there are plenty of toy level boats, kids as young as 3 years old can start playing with them in the pool.
I would personally recommend them for children older than 5, but the good thing is that there is no upper limit.
What is the range for RC toy boats?
The average range of a transmitter, just like the ones on toy drones, is about 100m, with some going up to 300m.
You can usually find the distance they can go in the specifications of the product on the amazon page.
How long do batteries last?
Here's why it depends:
You could ram it in full power at 15mph and the battery would get depleated in less than 10 min.
But in normal use circumstances, the standard battery life for racing toy boats is about 20 minutes.
Can batteries be changed during play?
Sure thing, you can remove the boat from the water and carefully change the low lipo battery with another one.
How long does charging one battery take?
Depending on the size of the battery, there's an average of an hour upwards to 2 hours in total.
How are batteries recharged?
All the boats on this list come with their included battery charger.
Lipo batteries like the ones used in the rc boats usually are charged either by plugging them to a balance charger and into the wall socket or directly to a USB port (for smaller ones).
How do you get back an RC boat that's out of range?
Afraid you'll race it over the maximum range and lose it to the waves?
I feel you here.
However, there are ways to make sure that doesn't happen.
1. Play with the boat on an enclosed small water mass
2. Have a secondary longer range RC boat to save the first (this is lots of fun)
3. Tie it with a rope
4. Put an aluminum foil behind the controller to slightly improve signal and hopefully get it back
5.Make sure to keep it closer to a mass of land so you can wal up closer to it.
